The Anthropogenic Nest sculpture

'Anthropogenic Nest' [Anthropogenic / Adjective / Caused by humans or their activities]

A willow nest sculpture, weaved with litter that is commonly found around the forest.

The idea of the nest is that it signifies 'Home' not just for the birds but all the wildlife of The New Forest.

The sculpture aims to highlight the dangers of the toxicity of litter left behind and the impact this has on the habitat of all the different species that live in and visit the forest.

The Anthropogenic Nest is based on research of the effects that humans have on the environment and how we are the ones that can change our behaviour to lessen our impact.

The New Forest is a unique place where wildlife lives in such proximity to us.

We have learnt in so many positive ways to navigate this harmonious coexistence, but there is still so much we need to do to protect its future.

From the artists

This 'Anthropogenic Nest' has been drawn from the theme 'Look out for our forest' taking the word 'home' as a starting point to construct a sculpture inspired by the form of a bird's nest, built to house and protect a new generation.  

Birds are now, more than ever, using the litter we scatter to build their nests.

It is our responsibility to look after our amazing and bio-diverse landscape, to treasure it and take pride in the communal land we share with all the wildlife of The New Forest.

The sculpture is built around a willow armature, woven into this structure is litter such as strings of bottle tops, flowers made of plastic and shredded plastic/litter inside the nest.

The organic form of the sculpture enables it to embed and complement the various forest landscapes and environments, whilst also attracting the attention and curiosity necessary to spread the message of the lasting impact of litter.

Artists Stephanie James and Vanessa Collingridge live and work in the New Forest (they each have studios at SpudWORKS in Sway), they are passionate about the forest and the inspiration it brings to each of their personal artistic practices.

They each define education as a seminal aspect of that practice, splitting their time between individual work in the studio and a more collaborative, socially engaged, community-based approach working with local schools and the local community.

Find out more about the artists:

Website: www.stephaniejamesarts.com

Instagram: @stephanieljames

Website: www.vanessacollingridge.com

Instagram: @vanessacollingridgeart

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